Automatic and manually operated fire alarm signal station



Sept. 15, 1953 M. LEV 2,

AUTOMATIC AND MANUA y OPERATED FIRE ALARM SIGNAL STATION Filed Nov. 16, 1951 IIXVENTOR.

ATYUM Patented Sept. 15, 1953 *um sures OFFI E AUTOMA'IlO'ANDMANUALLY ormwrsn mm ALARM SIGNAL sTA'rIoN I 1 7 ,Morris .Levy, Philadelphia, Pa,

assumin November 16, 1951, semi No. "256,770

My invention relates to new and useful'ciutomatic and manually operatedfire alarm-signal stations such as are placed on the interior walls of buildings to warn theocwpant-s, inpartioular; and outsiders, in general, when a :fire occurs.

' object of this invention is 'to produce .o :fire alarm signal station which will operate automatically under the action of heat and which can be'operated manually by a person discovering a them a building equipped withthe apparatus, for the purpose of warning occupants of the building of probable idanger. I

mnctherobnect- '01 the invention-is to produce a fire alarm signaistation comprising a switch in an electric alarm circuit, said switch including two contactors, one of whichis :normally retained in an open position by means to be displaced by manual operation for closing the circuit and the other 'contactor beingclosed by the action of abnormal or excessive heatin the vicinity of the A further some of the invention is w produce a fire alarm signal station of the type mentioned wherein one contactor of the sw itchis normally maintained in an open position bymanually dislocatable means which, when the restraint is removed, is caused to close by spring action, and the other contactor "including heat responsive means to cause'sa'id other contractor to close. 1

Astlll further object or thepresent invention is to produce a fire alarm station includingthe customary spring contact'or switch in combination' withathermostatically actuated secondary contactor responsive to abnormal or excessive heat for closing said switch.

With the above and other objects in view this invention consists of the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then designated by the claim.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same I will describe its construction in detail, referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing forming a. part hereof, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front face view of a signal station constructed according to this invention with -ciaim. =,(c1. zoo 3s) A portions broken out .2 v to illustrate details oI-construction. 1

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary the linefl-J of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is also an enlarged tragmentary'bmken section on the 1ine'3-4 of Fig. l withthe heat responsive element shown in the normally open section on position and illustrating itin position is dotted lines.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 on the same scale :as said Fig. 1L

For the purpose of illustrating the invention I have shown a support, housing or body fl l' having a chamber H formed in the from me thereof so that the front end of said chamber is'open to the exterior of the housing The open end of said chamber is surrounded by a, "recessed I2 for the fragile panel l3; such as glass, said panel being -detachs;bly'heldin place by appropriate securing 'means 'such as screws fattached to the housing with portions overltpping the edges of thepanel' Ii. v I

In the bottom of-the'cha-mber H 'isformed c cavity Hi which is bridged at one end-by a stationary contact member It, preferably the form of-a plate of electric conductivity, fixedly held in place by screws l1 projected through thefback of the housing and threaded into the stationary contact member it. A canductor representing one sided an electric alarm system is adapted to be attached to one of solid screws for electric connection with the station ary contact it as one pole of the switch tobe presently described. j

On'ft'he bottom oif thechamber H is r'nounted an anchor plate 1'8, which constitutes the other pole of the switch, 'saiidplate being secured in place by suitable fastening means, such as screws l'9 projected through the back of the housin'gand threaded into seid'anchorplcte W. A conductor representing the other side or the electric alarm system is adapted to be'attached to one of said screws for electric connection with the anchor plate l8 as the other pole of the switch.

The anchor plate [8 is located to one side of the cavity I5 adjacent the end opposite the position of the stationary contact member l6 and to one of the screws I9 is attached the fixed end of the spring contactor 20 by a nut 2|, Fig. l.

The contactor 20 may be formed from strong spring wire having the fixed end attached to the anchor plate by one of the screws I9 and the nut 2| and is fashioned to provide a. U-shaped loop 22. One of the branches of said loop is bent outward and then inward to form an elbow 23,

3, Fig. 4, the legs of which diverge, and finally the end of the wire is bent to produce the contact terminal 24. This contact terminal 24 is positioned within the cavity I in back of the stationary contact member I6. Said cavity I5 is of suflicient depth to allow a limited oscillatory movement of the contact terminal 24 of the spring contactor 20 whereby said terminal 24 may be moved out of engagement with the stationary contact member I6 under certain conditions. For example, the elbow 23 is of such dimensions that when the contact terminal 24 of the spring contactor is in engagement with the under side of the stationary contact member I6 said elbow 23 projects outside of the plane of the seat I2. Therefore, when the elbow is in or inside of the plane of the seat, as when retracted by the panel I3 resting on said seat I2,

the contact terminal 24 will be out of engagement with the stationary contact member I6.

The stationary contact member I6, the anchor plate I8, the screws for said member and plate, and the spring contactor constitute a switch which is retained in an open condition by a manually dislocatable switch restraining means. For purposes of illustration, the restraining means comprises thefragile panel I3 which engages the elbow portion 23 and retracts the spring contactor when said panel is seated and secured in place. When the restraining means is dislocated, as when the fragile panel is broken or removed, the spring contactor 20 will be released and the switch will close to produce an alarm.

The foregoing is a description of a simple form of fire alarm signal station as disclosed in my Patent No. 2,545,854: dated March 21, 1951, and included as a part of my Patent No. 2,570,823, dated October 9, 1951; I

In the housing is also a compartment 25 which is closed except for a multiplicity of holes 26 leading thereto from the exterior of said housing and the opening forming the communication of said compartment with the chamber I I. In this compartment 25 is mounted the heat responsive means 21 for also closing the alarm circuit.

The heat responsive means herein shown comprises. a frame 28 located in the compartment 25 with a shaft 29 journalled in ears 30 of said frame, said shaft being suflicient in length to cause the inner end thereof to project into the chamber II. On said inner end of the shaft 29 is a secondary contactor 3| normally out of engagement with the stationary contact IB, as shown in elevation in Fig. 3, but capable of engaging said stationary contact under certain conditions, as shown by dotted lines in said Fig. 3, for closing the switch 20 between the stationary contact I6 and the anchor plate I8, constitutingopposite poles of said switch, through said secondary contactor and the elements of the heat responsive means which is electrically bonded to the anchor plate I8, as by a wire 32.

To the outer end of the shaft 29 is attached one end of a coiled thermostatic element 33, within the vented end of the compartment 25, while the other end of said element is held in a fixed position by attachment to a projection 34 extending from an adjacent ear of the frame 28. When the thermostatic element 33 expands under the influence of heat it has a tendency to unwind thus imparting a rotary movement to the shaft 29 in the direction to cause the secondary contactor 3| to move towards and finally engage the stationary contact or pole piece I6 for closing the switch and thereby completing the alarm circuit.

The foregoing description of a heat responsive devicefor closing the switch is illustrative only and used for the purpose of explaining the nature of my invention and is intended to cover any type of thermostatic element as an equivalent of that set forth.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction herein shown'and described as these may be varied within the scope of the appended claim without departingfrom the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and useful is:

An automatic and manually operated fire alarm station, comprising a housing with a chamber therein open at the front, a panel seat surrounding said open front, a fragile panel mounted on the seat with means to hold it in place, a stationary contact and an anchoring means secured within the chamber and constituting the poles of a switch structure, a resiliently operated primary movable contact member fixed to one pole and in cooperative relation to the other pole, said primary movable contact member being held out of contact with said other pole by the fragile panel which when broken releases said primary contact member to complete a circuit for -producing a continuous alarm, and a second contact member responsive to heat and electrically connected to the first mentioned pole and normally out of engagement with said other pole and engaging said other pole when said second contact member is subjected to abnormal heat to also complete the same circuit for also producing a continuous alarm.

MORRIS LEVY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Levy Oct. 9, 1951 

